"Manners are a sensitive awareness of the feelings of others. If you have that awareness, you have good manners, no matter what fork you use."
—Emily Post

I have a collection of etiquette books, the first being written in the mid-eighteenth century, all the way up to present day. They occupy a whole shelf in our library. And sometimes, to be honest, I long for the day when social correctness and niceties were more prevalent. It was a lot simpler to tackle those awkward moments. Not, of course, in the rigors, but in that everyone adhered to what was considered proper etiquette.

This morning I happened across a column that caught my eye ... with delight I might add. Miss Manners publishes a web column on MSN Lifestyle. Judith Martin, otherwise known as Miss Manners, has written a newspaper column carried in more than 200 newspapers in the United States and abroad since 1978. She also is the author of several books. Not only does she answer questions on table and party manners, she answers questions about life, relationships, parenting, etc.

One reader, on MSN Lifestyle, asks how to encourage chivalry in her 29-year-old boyfriend. I wrote about chivalry in September. Her response was beautiful.

Gentle Reader,
It will be a lost romance if you point out such deficiencies. Nobody loves a critic.
Miss Manners

Take a moment and look through her log of answers to very contemporary issues. She answers questions about; when a woman's bottom falls out of her pants, when a Facebook friend is anything but, piddling puppies, definition of fashionably late, and the list goes on. You can read her column by clicking here.
So, take heart my friend. When those awkward moments arise, there is help. Enjoy perusing other readers awkward moments, it is heartening.

Miss Manners on the web
Emily Post on the web